Economics of the Great Depression

Comprising a series of unique and informative interviews, this original book focuses on the evolution and current state of the economic literature on the Great Depression. Renowned economists assess the status of the remaining debates, evaluate what economists do and do not know about the economics of the interwar era, and examine the new directions economic research is taking in attempting to better understand this important economic epoch. Every generation of economists tries to understand the Depression, but the interwar generation of economists who lived through it left several issues unresolved. Often scholars from the generation that follows a particular event are the ones who provide fresh, disinterested, and perhaps more honest evaluations of the historical period. We are now at that point in our evaluation of the economics of the interwar era. This book contains interviews with 12 American economists who have made substantial contributions to our understanding of the economics of the Great Depression: Peter Temin, Ben Bernanke, James Hamilton, Robert Lucas, Lee Ohanian, Christina Romer, Barry Eichengreen, Stephen Cecchetti, James Butkiewicz, Michael Bordo, Charles Calomiris and Allan Meltzer. Together and individually, they provide an enlightening account of what we have learned from the post-World War II generation of economists. This accessible, highly readable book continues and extends the discussion of the Great Depression, appealing to students and scholars of both economics and history.